A Question of Leaving
by sunrise93
Summary: After the events with the bounty hunter River secludes herself in her bunk. Simon being the man and brother he his needs to speak with her, but what he finds is a shock even if, in that back of his mind, he saw part of it coming. Some slight spoilers for the Movie, but not enough to ruin anything for you.


**If I owned this there is no way that there would be only one season, but isn't that the beauty of this series, it was cut short just as it was getting good so now our imaginations can run away with us, and there are always those shows that just keep going, and going, and going that started out great but somehow lost where they were headed. **

**Anyways this story has some, lets say, 'mature'-ish themes, but I don't think it's too bad. If anyone thinks I should put the rating up then please tell me. Also this is a one shot.**

**Remember to please review; it's one of the ways I can improve.**

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Simon knocked on River's door and entered like he had so many times before. But this time was different, so very different. He felt like something had changed, something more then that his sisters' brain had been broken, and for once in his life, he wasn't sure he knew how to fix it.

"River? Can I come in?"

She was drawing again; the picture she was currently working on was spectacular as usual, if a little gory, there seemed nothing she wasn't good at.

She looked up at him for a brief moment about to claim that his question was irrelevant considering he had already entered, but instead went back to her drawing. It wasn't that her brain was fixed and she could make the conscious decision to not say something, it was just that the thought entered and was then pushed out with such speed that her motor functions were, for once, not fast enough to vocalise the thought before going back to what held all of her substantial attention. Every bodily process that was not needed to keep her alive was focused on the image she was creating before her.

"What are you drawing Riv?" Simon asked curious.

She didn't answer, didn't even really hear him, she just kept drawing.

Simon leaned over to look at what held her attention. He gasped at what he saw, but was so ensnared that he couldn't look away. Even if actual Reavers had boarded Serenity at that moment he wouldn't have battered an eyelid, because that's what she was drawing, Reavers, countless numbers of them. They were attacking one lone person with long brown hair, welding one very sharp sword and an equally sharp axe. Reavers lay dead and dying around the woman as more and more kept coming, her green dress was already spattered with the blood of her enemies but there seemed to be no end to them. Their snarling, mutilated faces and claw like hands reached for her only to be cut away.

Bullet holes riddled the room they fought in, but no guns could be seen, just the blood and gore that sounded the small, blood stained woman.

"River, what is this?" He looked, for the first time, around at the room he was standing in. There were pictures just like this one but from different angles and different fighting stances scattered over the floor. "Why are you drawing this?" He really wished she would go back to drawing what she called 'Babushka dolls'.

River finally snapped out of it. She just looked up at him with her big brown eyes for a moment before those eyes became unfocused, seeing things he could not even hope to imagine.

"It's what's to come."

"Excuse me?" Simon said, his head snapping back to her from where he had been examining one of her pictures, it was of a room with many monitors with what looked like Mal standing on a ledge facing some unknown person.

"It's coming and we can't stop it, no one can stop it, we try but we can't. Eve takes the apple and all is lost, the snake talks in the peoples ear and bend down to listen." She giggles at the last part of her sing song chant. "Human curiosity and control bend and twine, bend and twine. Abominations need to be buried, no links back to what they had done." She giggles again, with each word she sounds more and more childlike. "Find ourselves for what is to come."

Simon grabs her shoulders and shakes her a little; she is beginning to scare him.

"River snap out of it."

"Simon, what are you doing?" she looks confused coming back to the now. "Why are you shaking me?"

"River, do you remember what you were just talking about?" He said looking for any signs that she might have another episode and perhaps hurt herself.

"How did you get here? It is physically impossible for you to appear from a previously unoccupied space without disturbing the frequency of air molecules."

Simon sighed and let go of her. "River" Simon sat down next to her, "this is what I want to talk to you about."

River had picked up her pencils again, he was happy to see that this time she was drawing a flower.

"River you haven't spoken to anyone for a week, you've come out for meals but otherwise you just sit in here, in your bunk, people are getting worried."

"It's quieter in here" was all River would say.

Simon waited for her to say more, he waited for at least a minute before he realise that that was the extent to her explanation.

"What do you mean its quieter River?"

She looked at him and he knew she was thinking that he was an idiot child again.

"People are further away and they don't scream so loud" she said as if that explained everything.

"Right" he had no idea what she was talking about.

She sighed, "You have no idea what I am talking about" she stated.

He flinched, "how did you–"

"You were shouting" she said matter of factly.

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"So you are a 'reader'." It was more of a statement

"If that is what you wish to call it."

"And everything you were saying, before you stopped talking I mean, to the Bounty hunter, about leaving?" Simon was looking at his hands.

"She spoke truth." River kept on drawing.

"I don't want you to leave Riv, no one wants toy to."

"Yes they do, sometimes they do, they don't say it but everyone thinks it." She paused for a moment. "Maybe it would be better if she left. Everyone would be happier, they wouldn't have to worry about me, wouldn't be scared of me. It would be better if she just disappeared." She looked over to Simon, her face void of any emotion; it was if what she was saying was completely logical. A tear escaped his eye.

"No River, I wouldn't be happier without you."

"Kaylee?"

"She's fun but she could never replace you Riv, never. You can hear people's thoughts and that's fine but people lie to themselves and have random thoughts that come out of nowhere that they feel bad for later, but what we think doesn't control us, it doesn't control our actions Riv. You need to look at people's actions and not so much their thoughts okay. Everyone cares about you. Hell I think even Jayne cares a little."

"He tried to give us up, that was an action." River pointed out.

Simon chuckled dryly, "so it was, but his actions were in response to your own, at the time he was scared for the rest of the crew, and he was sorry after, he gave us all those apples remember, those actions spoke of his regret."

"They're still scared of me."

"Because you're a bit different, a wild card, but you know what? You keep us on our toes, and plus, Kaylee likes playing with you."

"Simon…"

"No River you can't leave, and if you do I will tare the 'verse apart trying to find you again. I've lost you once, I'm not losing you again." Simon looked her right in the eye when he said this, 'shouting' as she put it, at her with everything he had.

"Simon?" River said wincing a little.

"Yeah Riv."

"You're giving me a headache."

"Sorry" Simon tried not to think so loud reaching out to rub her head a little.

River turned her head to the side looking at him, "you'd be lost without me" she said smiling.

"So you're going to stay?" He asked very hopeful.

"Serenity need's me for what's coming, and Captain Daddy needs someone to make sure he doesn't get shot." She said getting up and reaching for his hand.

Simon laughed at that, "like that's ever going to happen."

They left the bunk, River still holding onto him, practically dragging him along.

"River where are we going?"

She dragged him into the Mess.

"You're hungry" she said smiling just before his stomach growled.


End file.
